Aileen Burford-Mason, PhD, President, Holistic Health Research Foundation of Canada, Toronto, ON.
Trish Dryden RMT, MEd, Coordinator of Massage Therapy Research and Development, School of Applied Arts and Health Sciences, Centennial College, Scarborough, ON.
Merrijoy Kelner, PhD, Professor Emerita, Institute for Life Course and Aging, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.
Paul Richard Saunders, PhD, ND, DHANP, Professor of Materia Medica, Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, North York, ON.
Mark Ware, MD, MRCP(UK), MSc, Assistant Professor, Departments of Anesthesia and Family Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is defined as a group of diverse medical and health care practices, products, and systems that are not presently considered part of conventional medicine but are increasingly being used. For older patients already receiving multiple drugs, such practices are attractive as nonpharmacological approaches to pain management. This review highlights several CAM therapies, including acupuncture treatment, massage therapy, and several natural health products supported by recent research.
Key words: pain, acupuncture, massage, Devil’s claw, glucosamine.

Glucosamine and Chondroitin in Osteoarthritis

Gerlie C. de los Reyes, BSc, MSc
Department of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.

Robert T. Koda, PharmD
Department of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.

Eric J. Lien, PhD
Department of Pharmaceutical
Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.

"Medicine provides the means to treat diseases. Knowledge is the foundation of good health." E. J. Lien

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic joint disease that is estimated to affect almost 5 million Canadians (16% of the population) by the year 2016.¹ This degenerative disorder is one of the primary causes of pain and long-term disability in the elderly. The disease is characterized by the progressive deterioration of the articular cartilage, the protective "cushion" at the articulating surfaces of bones. This degenerative process is caused primarily by a defect in the metabolism of the component macromolecules including proteoglycans (aggrecans) and type II collagen.

The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin, ibuprofen, indomethacin and piroxicam are the most widely used medications for the treatment of patients with symptomatic OA.